BY MICHAEL OLOHAN AND MATTHEW WIKFORS
OF PASCACK PRESS
MONTVALE—The borough’s inaugural Pride in the Park event June 13, celebrating the local LGBTQ+ community amid Pride Month, delivered a message of inclusion and community and witnessed a groundbreaking ceremony for a tree symbolizing the town’s commitment to the LGBTQ+ community.
The event also lost one of its organizers.
Drawing members of the LGBTQ+ community, friends, families, children, and allies, who mingled, listened to live music, enjoyed snow cones, and heard speeches from borough and county officials, the festivities were punctuated by Mayor Michael Ghassali ejecting Councilwoman Elizabeth Gloeggler from the hosting Diversity and Inclusion Committee.
Gloeggler, until then the vice chair of the committee, was one of the organizers commended for the event.
She and Republican state Sen. Holly Schepisi (D-39) exchanged heated words following a small protest centered on Schepisi’s voting record.
Ghassali, himself a Republican and a former candidate for U.S. Congress, said he removed Gloeggler from the advisory committee after she cursed at him for allegedly not standing up for her after Schepisi alleged she was behind the protest.
He did so with an epithet of his own that he later said came up “in the heat of the moment.”
“It’s unfortunate that the Diversity and Inclusion Committee function turned political at our first pride event. We have good-intentioned committee members from different nations who want to showcase and celebrate their cultures, music, food, traditional costumes and share their story with us,” Ghassali told Pascack Press.
He added, “And for the community to accept and learn about the different backgrounds of our friends and neighbors in town. That was the original purpose of this committee, and it’s my hope that we will continue and focus on this mission. We want to celebrate diversity, not create and celebrate conflict.”
Speaking with Pascack Press, Gloeggler denied involvement with protesters criticizing Schepisi’s record on LGBTQ+ issues.
Gloeggler said that although committee members opposed Schepisi’s speaking at the event, she nevertheless introduced her graciously and was surprised at the protesters present.
She said Ghassali had invited Schepisi to speak against the committee’s wishes.
“This is such important work in this town. There are so many people who don’t feel welcome in this town. So many people are not represented and do not get to hear their voices represented,” Gloeggler said.
She added, “I am so sad. This day was about the town and the kids. The fact that this is turning into a circus is so sad. It’s not about Holly Schepisi; it’s about all the volunteers who worked so hard, and having a safe space in our community for people to celebrate.”
She accused the mayor of “playing politics” by supporting Schepisi over the efforts of the committee volunteers. “We just worked so hard on this event. Why would I sabotage it over Holly,” said Gloeggler.
She said the former assemblywoman and newly sworn senator, who succeeded the late Gerald Cardinale, “could have won over the crowd” if she had engaged on the topic of LGBTQ+ rights and marriage equality rather than blaming Gloeggler for the presence of protesters.
In all versions of the story incendiary words were exchanged freely.
Ghassali said Gloeggler cursed at him for not supporting her. He acknowledged he might then have cursed “in the heat of the moment,” as he advised her she was off the committee.
Ghassali told Pascack Press that “even if I wanted to do anything” to defend Gloeggler to Schepisi, he never got the chance as she instantly criticized him after Schepisi accused her of instigating the protest, which involved the waving of signs.
‘I lost my cool’
Reached June 21, Schepisi said that every two years, protesters “come out to distort” her record on the LGBTQ+ community—and again accused Gloeggler of organizing the protest against her.
Schepisi said “I lost my cool” after seeing protesters in the crowd. “The event was a wonderful event for the friends, neighbors and loved ones from the LGBTQ+ community.”
Schepisi said she was not aware of Ghassali ousting Gloeggler from the committee—as is his prerogative—but rather learned of it from the press.
Ghassali said the interaction between Schepisi and Gloeggler lasted 15 to 20 seconds, as did a followup conversation between Gloeggler and himself.
At the event a protestor, Robyn Mate, held a sign to protest Schepisi’s voting record touching on the LGBTQ+ community. She told Pascack Press, “I chose to exercise my First Amendment right. I chose to respectfully and silently hold up a sign that forced my legislator to face her voting record on marriage equality.”
She said, “This was not orchestrated and it was not an ambush. The Montvale Diversity and Inclusion Committee was unaware of my intention to respectfully protest. I acted alone.”
Ghassali told Pascack Press that he knew members of the D&I committee did not want Schepisi at the event but that he had invited her nevertheless.
Mate said the D&I committee had urged Ghassali not to invite Schepisi.
“Not only did Mayor Ghassali ignore the Montvale D&I Committee’s requests to rescind Holly Schepisi’s invitation to speak at Pride, Mayor Ghassali further insulted the LGBTQ+ community by firing Ms. Gloeggler at an event she spent countless hours putting together,” Mate told Pascack Press.
She added, “Ms. Gloeggler is an incredible activist and advocate, who was blamed for another woman’s silent, respectful protest. I acted alone. Ms. Gloeggler had no knowledge of my intentions to protest Holly Schepisi.”
(Editor’s note: The print version of this story gave the name of an advocacy group with which Mate is associated and with which she protests in the name of diversity and inclusiveness. We did not say this group was protesting Schepisi at Montvale Pride in the Park; Mate speaks for herself ably to emphasize that she protested on her own initiative. Nevertheless, at her request and to eliminate the possibility of confusion we have redacted the name of the group for this edition.)
Ghassali reflected on the incident, telling Pascack Press, “This whole thing is upsetting to me. I didn’t want this to be a difficult committee with them having serious issues. This wasn’t meant to be a political committee.”
He said the committee should celebrate cultures and differences.
Schepisi wrote Pascack Press, “Other than one regretful vote in a committee almost 10 years ago regarding marriage equality, during my tenure in the state Legislature, I’ve consistently supported the LGBTQ+ community and fought for equality for all residents.”
She said, “Indeed, during the last election cycle, I was endorsed by Garden State Equality, New Jersey’s most prominent LGBTQ+ advocacy organization for my sponsorship of the Babs Siperstein Law, hailed as a groundbreaking initiative for New Jersey’s transgender, intersex and non-binary residents.”
She added she had sponsored legislation banning the practice of so-called conversion therapy in New Jersey.
“The pride event was great with an overall message of love and support for our friends, family and neighbors who are part of the LGBTQ+ community. I attended because I do support the LGBTQ+ community and I thought it was important to show up.”
Event ‘impressive’; speakers praise allies
Aware of the drama or not, many families were seen in pride shirts, holding pride flags, and dressed in rainbow makeup.
The event, graced with warm weather and clear skies, drew comments that the showing was “impressive for a small community like Montvale.”
Performing was Unwound, a band formed by former students of Pascack Hills High School.
Committee chair Amaka Auer and Gloegger welcomed the crowd.
“Whether you’re out here because you’re curious or because you’re an ally, we welcome you,” said Auer.
She talked about the Stonewall riots and how even though things have drastically changed for the LGBTQ+ community since then, intolerance still exists.
She highlighted benefits of diversity and inclusion within the community and stressed the importance of being an ally to combat intolerance and injustice.
“Let’s fight back against intolerance and look out for and reach out to everyone in the community,” she said.
Gloeggler encouraged the crowd to make noise before she made her opening remarks. After cheers and applause from the crowd, she addressed everyone as friends.
“As of now, we are all friends,” she said.
Like Auer, she discussed inclusion and being an ally, but took a different approach. She said that nobody deserves to feel alone and that if someone feels unsafe or sees injustice happening in the community, they should reach out to the town or the Diversity and Inclusion Committee.
Pastor Mark Suriano of the First Congregational Church of Park Ridge gave warm, welcoming remarks. Suriano, who identifies as a gay man, talked about how important it is to have open acceptance for the LGBTQ+ in religion.
“If we can do one small thing, we can turn the tide from exclusion in religion to one of love and inclusion,” he said.
He apologized on behalf of the religious community for religious persecution against the LGBTQ+ community and said that each attendee was beautiful in their own way. He also led an opening prayer.
“We are gay, we are straight, we are lesbian, we are bisexual, we are transgender,” Suriano said during the prayer. “We know you call us by one name. We are beloved.”
Also speaking were Ghassali; Bergen County Commissioners Tom Sullivan and Tracy Zur; former state Assemblyman Tim Eustace, the first openly gay person elected to New Jersey legislature; Darren Murray, a manager of neuroscience and neurophysiology at Valley Hospital in Ridgewood; and Auer’s cousin Timothy Ware-Hill.
Ware-Hill said that black transgender women have one of the highest homicide rates in the country. Visibility, he said, helps give a voice to communities who might not otherwise have a voice in the LGBTQ+ community.
He also talked about holding people accountable when it comes to visibility and representation.
When Sullivan came up to the podium, he ripped up the speech he prepared.
“I’m just gonna speak from the heart because these people have worked their butts off to get this event done,” he said.
He spoke briefly about his three brothers, who are gay, and said that he and his family had always supported them while he was growing up. He stressed the importance of accepting people
for who they are.
Sullivan has said often that he sees Bergen County as a melting pot that accepts everyone, regardless of race, ethnicity, class, sexuality, gender, or religion.
He said that Bergen County “honors everyone” and said he was impressed with how a small town like Montvale was able to pull off such an important event.
“Did anyone else think this would ever happen in our bedroom community? We’re here, but we’re not going away,” he said.
Zur is an ally for the LGBTQ+ community in Bergen County. She championed the formation of Bergen County’s LGBTQ Advisory Committee and serves on the committee as a member. She also launched the county’s yearly LGBTQ+ Youth Leadership Summit.
She said that she hopes Pride In The Park becomes an annual event and that she also hopes to see some of the faces in the crowd at the next LGBTQ+ Youth Leadership Summit.
Riley Solomon and Alyssa Linardic, the founders of the Diversity and Inclusion Committee, spoke about how the committee was founded and began the tree dedication ceremony.
Linardic also spoke about her experiences as a part of the LGBTQ+ community.
“Being queer has been an isolating experience,” she said, adding that growing up, she didn’t face outright discrimination or bullying, but still felt alone. She felt like she was different from her peers and didn’t find anyone who could relate to what she was feeling.
She said that she was ecstatic when she was a freshman at Pascack Hills and learned about the Gay-Straight Alliance. She said that she had even cried. She said it was a place where felt like she belonged, a place with people who shared similar experiences with her or were allies that stood with the LBGTQ+ community.
Solomon talked about how the Diversity and Inclusion Committee came to be: it began two years ago with her and Linardic’s decision to fight to get a pride flag to fly outside of borough hall. The proposal was initially rejected, but Solomon said that she and Linardic refused to give up. Their efforts to create a more inclusive and welcoming environment for all.
The committee was approved last summer.
“All of you in front of us are proof that Montvale is an open, loving, and inclusive community,” Solomon said.